Sometimes we just get it wrong. Like the time in 2012 that the then-mayor of Toronto said, “The problem with trees is that they do not support jobs” or words to that effect.

His statement motivated a whole bunch of tree planting organizations to organize themselves into a new Canadian charity, dedicated to doubling the urban tree canopy across the country. Canadian Trees For Life was born. Thank you to the late Rob Ford for a kick in the pants.

We are reminded that students are going back to school very shortly. Parents of young students are taking a deep breath, either a sigh of relief after a busy summer with the kids or a breath of anxiety as a child heads off to college or university, often away from home, for the very first time. Mark recalls those days well. And the tears.

As many Canadians reboot their interest in education there is an opportunity to think about where a good one can lead. As in, career choices.

 

We think that horticulture is an excellent place to set one’s sights for a prosperous and satisfying work future. If you, or someone you know and love, were to set a horticultural career goal you would be in good company. Our friend Tony DiGiovanni, retiring Executive Director of our industry trade association Landscape Ontario, tells us that there are over 110,000 full time, permanent jobs in the field. And that is in Ontario alone. Double that for the country and add a hundred thousand more for government jobs in the same genre.

Let’s expand the topic beyond grass cutting and hole digging (though there is nothing wrong with either of these options).

Are you creative? Do you love plants? Landscape designing is a thing, a career. As is Landscape Architecture.

Do you love the out of doors? Do you enjoy the challenge of a new day that provides new experiences, every day? Consider a career in landscaping.

You love wildlife? You want to make a positive difference in a world that is challenged by the effects of climate change? Creating and maintaining pollinator gardens is very much a popular career choice, whether you choose to go into business for yourself or work for someone else.

Do you appreciate the immense benefits of urban trees? Do you like planting and nurturing them? Think about how you can change the world for the better as a certified arborist.

Nursery growers are farmers who grow trees, shrubs, evergreens, roses, cut flowers, annual transplants, and perennials. Just thinking about the scope of it is exhausting.

We could go on, but you get the idea. 

A job in the world of gardening, when you explore it and think about it, holds much more promise and far more possibilities for job related rewards that can benefit your health and your pocketbook than you likely ever imagined.

We are very happy with our choices as garden communicators and purveyors of organic, Canadian grown food.   Nothing would please us more than to know that you stopped for a moment and considered horticulture as a career because of something that we said. After all, we talk for a living.

A great place to start is on the Landscape Ontario website https://landscapeontario.com/careers or the Canadian Landscape Trades Association website https://cnla.ca/green-careers . 

For details about Trees For Life go to www.treesforlife.ca.

And by the way, Rob Ford was wrong when he suggested that urban trees do not create jobs. In his own City of Toronto, there is a substantial department dedicated to the planting of new trees and stewarding of established ones. Over 4 million of them on public property alone. 

Enjoy our second favourite month in the garden: September. Bounty, beauty, and a rush to inhale the growth of a wonderful season before it goes to sleep.

Yours as ever,

Mark and Ben Cullen

Merchant of Beauty and Beans